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After about 2 hours of traffic driving from Toronto to Buffalo, getting static at the US border because someone still holding a Trinidad & Tobago passport (we not calling no names… right Dre!), we missed our 5:50pm direct flight to Regan National Airport (DC). After being rerouted through NY onto BWI airport, we finally linked up de rest of the out-of-town TJJ crew about 11:45pm and were on our way to officially start we DC Carnival feting.

So bap bap do so, from wondering if yuh on the right road and hoping to see another car to hittin' some serious Carenage-at-Carnival style traffic... the mood was set, and it was lookin' good! TJJ was on the Broadwater Estate around 1:00 am. There was adequate room for parking and the venue was nicely adorned. People like rain and plenty excitement, the vibe was feelin' good for this “All Inclusive” event on the rolling hills of Maryland. After all the travel dramas, we were more than happy for the warm VIP welcome. Large up all nice and decent hosts and hostesses!

As you know, we give the positive and the negative of any session. But, we want to make one thing clear so you don't get it twisted. We considered this event to be the highlight of the 2005 DC Carnival weekend! It was definitely the place to be and the atmosphere and crowd was sweet too bad. However, being an All-Inclusive event, we must look at the logistics of the event. We talking bout drinks, food, music, layout and ting.

The following is a combination of what we saw for ourselves and the feedback we received as we passed through the Taboo crowd. First stop, FOOD. Where was it? Folks lining up (well kind of) for bout half hour to hear… “Yeah, chicken finished but you could have some rice and a bun!” Suggestion to the caterers – box the food. As the chicken, beef, rice and peas, veggies or whatever on the menu make, put it in a snack box ready to distribute, so everyone gets a decent serving of food and lines never start forming. We know we arrived to the party a little late, but so did lots of other folks.

Next stop, DRINKS. As soon as we reach by the bar, we hear people was waitin’ at least 15 minutes to get a drink and bartenders requesting tips before serving the people. Madness! Also, folks that personally knew the bartenders were getting service preference. Other comments made were, not liking the idea of having to go to a separate bar for scotch, and the scotch was not top shelf or medium shelf for that matter.

Now, the Rum Punch Bar was an excellent idea… but how did this bar buss when Angostura sponsored the event???!!! And of course, it has to be mentioned that both bars buss (or stopped serving drinks) before the event was over. Perhaps since the event was labeled as an “All-Inclusive Experience”, seasoned All-Inclusive partygoers compared it to favorites like UWI All-Inclusive fetes in Trinidad and Miami or a Brian Lara All-inclusive where there’s a huge spread of organized food stations and drinks are in your hand before you could even place your drink order. But in all fairness to Gresham Entertainment, admission was in the $30-$40 range as opposed to the $70 plus of the Lara's and UWI's. So wha ya expect???!!!

VENUE & MUSIC. The next move was up to the main dance area surrounding the pool. We loved the settings... especially the two "taboo" projections over the pool area! Everyone in the dance was enjoying themselves, each in their own element. Sprang International and Back to Basics did their thing as usual representing DC and NY. Trust us, these fellas know how to move a crowd! Giselle De Wasi One also blessed the mic, hyping the crowd through out the night. Coming direct from Trinidad, Radio Active brought a sweet Trini vibe to the fete, starting their set with Trini’s National Anthem makin’ people feel like dey down in Pier One. Hypa Hoppa get man so hyped, that they start to jump in de pool like it was Auga Trinidad! Not to mention the congo line action that start up… put a woman in front and a man behind, bet your life you bound to wine!

Would TJJ come back next year? Hell, yeah! Overall, it was a great scene – sweet, sweet venue and mature, classy crowd. You had your socialites in the back by the bar or somewhere off in the distance catching up with old friends, and the bacchanal crowd in front the speakers and poolside taking a jump and wine with drinks and flags in hand! Again, DJ lineup was on point. You cannot go wrong with a Sprang International – Back to Basics combination! Then you add Radio Active in the mix, it’s like a doubles with pepper and chutney!

Big, big respect to Gresham Entertainment as we recognize it takes lots of work to pull off an event of this magnitude… like we always say, we not new to this we true to this. Hopefully the feedback we got from the crowd will be used to make this annual event, which is already great, even better come 2006 DC Carnival. The event really has the potential to be a classic for many years to follow. Thanks for having Trini Jungle Juice on the inside… and trust us, everyone looking forward to doing this again… and again… and again. Keep up the great work! See everyone on d'road for the DC Carnival Parade on Sat June 25th.

--------- Message from The Members of Gresham Entertainment ---------

Gresham Entertainment ("The Taboo Crew") would like to thank all who made it to Taboo this year! We truly appreciated your support!! Honestly, the turnout at Taboo 2005 - in only our second year hosting this event on a large scale - was overwhelming. We hope everyone enjoyed themselves and we greatly appreciated your feedback. We will be sure to incorporate your comments in our planning of next year's event, as we continuously strive to improve on your "Taboo" experience.

We would also like to thank the staff at Trini Jungle Juice and all the friends and family that helped throughout the weekend. Again... to everyone who came out to support, thank you, and be sure to look out for more GE events in the near future!!!

The "2005 DC Carnival Weekend" pictures are now available for viewing at www.thetabooparty.com

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